A Siberian day in Mongolia

text & photos by Abu

Lichen-covered branches in the taiga forest

Ulaanbaatar (UB), October 2014

Since more than 10 years I have some unfinished business with Siberian Tit (called Gray-headed Chickadee by our American friends). I spent many hours birding in the forest, not only near Ulaanbaatar but also in the Khentii Mts, the Khövsgöl region and elsewhere. My frustration grew with every Poecile tit I checked. They always turned out to be either Willow Tit (in most cases) or (Eastern) Marsh Tit. Over the years I visited many sites where Siberian Tit had been seen previously by others. When I was there: nothing! The culmination point was in June 2014 when the Swamprunners where birdwatching at Terelj National Park. They saw it while I had parted from the group and did NOT see it. Damned!

Bird density in boreal forest is quite low, especially in winter. But I knew that it would be just a matter of time until the tit would come across me. Therefore I was very happy to go out birding on 26 October 2014 with a bunch of excellent local birdwatchers. We visited the upper Gachuurt valley which is just an hour drive from the city centre. There you can drive up to the pass and start walking through almost pristine northern forest.

For a photographer the downside of this quite dense forest is that there is never enough light. We had acceptable conditions at the beginning only. Later a thick overcast moved in from the south-west.

Male Three-toed Woodpecker

UB, October 2014

Male Goldcrest in flight

UB, October 2014

Hovering male Goldcrest

UB, October 2014

 

Male Goldcrest

UB, October 2014

 

Male Goldcrest

UB, October 2014

Male Goldcrest

UB, October 2014

 

Male Goldcrest

UB, October 2014

Bird list (23 species)

Hazel Grouse - 2 busily singing males which were heard only
Eurasian Black Vulture - 1
Grey-headed Woodpecker - 1
White-backed Woodpecker - 1
Three-toed Woodpecker 1
Red-flanked Bluetail - 1 male at the pass, quite late in the season
Goldcrest - 3

(Eastern) Marsh Tit

UB, October 2014

Siberian Tit

UB, October 2014

Siberian Tit

UB, October 2014

Coal Tit - common and extremely tame around the cone collector sites
Marsh Tit - 6
Willow Tit - c.20
SIBERIAN TIT - c.7
Eurasian Nuthatch - c.6
Eurasian Treecreeper - c.5
Northern Grey Shrike Lanius borealis sibiricus - 2
Eurasian Jay - 5
Siberian Jay - c.7
Spotted Nutcracker - common, maybe 15 seen
Common Raven - 5
Brambling - 1
Mealy Redpoll - several larger flocks on the move
Eurasian Siskin - 1
Eurasian Bullfinch ssp pyrrhula - 3
Grey Bullfinch Pyrrhula (pyrrhula) cineracea - 1
Pine Grosbeak - 3
Red Crossbill - common, but always nervous

Siberian Jay

UB, October 2014

Siberian Jay

UB, October 2014

Siberian Jay

UB, October 2014

Now I can concentrate on my other unfinished businesses. And there are many!